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The band then get down and dirty with a slow blues version of Freddy King’s ‘Have You Ever Loved A
Woman’. This slow burner carries you along for nine whole minutes with some true from the heart
guitar and some lyrics to match which border on being x certificate!

They kick into a great version of the Benny Latimer 70’s hit ‘Somethin’ ’Bout ‘Cha’ a bluesy ballad
that has shades of Van Morrison about it.

There is some great funky riffing going on with ‘Snowing in Chicago’ with more tasty organ and
guitar ripping it up.

Linsey Alexander is seventy eight years old now but shows no signs of slowing down. He has nurtured
and refined his guitar chops that give off that indelible Chicago blues style. He has a great booming
voice somewhere between Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal that is well suited to the blues. He has a great
tried and trusted back-line of Ron Simmons on Bass and Ray Stewart on drums. There is able guitar
backup from Sergei Androshin and some super Hammond sounds from Roosevelt Purify on keys.

Speaking from experience I can vouch for Linsey as a true entertainer that likes to work hard to
please his audience so this being a live album he manages to get some of that feel across.

Linsey rips into the Junior Wells tune ‘Ships On The Ocean’ with some nifty guitar work and closes
the album with ‘Going Back To My Old Time Used To Be’ a funky riffing number that features some
lovely funky clav from Roosevelt on keys.

This is good old style Chicago blues from a man who is on top of his game and a true character. I
suggest you turn down the lights, get a glass of your favourite tipple and settle down with this, the
next best thing to a live blues gig during lockdown!

Ged Wilson

Vanessa Collier—Heart On The Line—Phenix Fire Records

Having graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston
Massachusetts Vanessa Collier is now starting to make her mark
being a 2020 Blues Music Award (BMA) winner in the
instrumentalist - Horn category and a nominee in the 2020 BMA

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the year. ‘Heart On The Lineis
her fourth album.

The album gets off to a cracking start with a version of James
Brown’s ‘Superbad’ a funky rendition that gets in the groove. This is
a great introduction to Vanessa’s soul voice and nifty horn playing.

Next up is ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ a lovely soulful song that has the sound of 60/70’s R&B and a
hint of Bonnie Raitt.

Some great resonator slide guitar leads us into ‘Bloodhound’ a true Delta Blues feel about this one.
The balled ‘I Don’t Want Anything To Change’ has a nice gentle feel about it and once more echoes of

Bonnie Raitt which is not surprising as she covered this song too.

Vanessa tries a soul funk approach to the Randy Newman classic ‘Leave Your Hat On’ whilst it is a
credible version it just doesn’t just quite cut for me like a Tom Jones or Joe Cocker version does.

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